Cannabis pickled magnolia blossoms

By Chef Sebastian Carosi

Steal magnolias… then pickle them!

Helping to educate the dining public—and everyone out there that consumes food for that matter—about the abundance of unconventional food sources seems to fall on the shoulders of today’s creative chefs. As a wildcrafter and forager, discovering creative condiments using unconventional wild edibles and adding them to my repertoire is always great. Sharing them with you is truly what it is all about for me. While foraging is an innate part of human nature, it has been superseded by more convenient food sources. Yet there is plenty of interesting foods to forage that are growing within a short hike or walk from your home depending on where you live and what time of year it is. The beautiful magnolia is an ancient tree with relatives over 95 million years old. Its leaves, bark and blossoms are all edible and have been consumed for several thousands of years. The flowers enjoyed raw have a piquant spiciness, giving way to a creaminess that matches its intense floral nose, reminiscent of rose, ginger and cardamom. Having spent many of my formative culinary years in the American south—Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia—I quickly learned from some of the old timers what a scuppernong was, ate a paw paw, drank muscadine and how to pickle magnolia blossoms. The process was taught to me by an old Appalachia native, who invited me to his makeshift lunch table to try his souse. I didn’t know what the hell souse was. (For the uninitiated souse is head cheese in vinegar.) He broke me off a piece of clear souse with little bits of meat in it and placed it on a saltine cracker and topped the bite-sized snack with a bright pink pickled magnolia blossom. I’d never had Appalachian souse or a pickled magnolia blossom before that first culinary encounter. Fast forward almost 30 years and I love pickling magnolias and I love souse. I later learned that they pickle magnolia blossoms in England, but I will always associate them with Appalachia. Over the years I have adapted the recipe to fit a multitude of uses. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do. And make sure you ask your neighbour before you steal their magnolias.

Cannabis pickled magnolia blossoms

Prep time: 20 minutes

Wait time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 to 3 pint jars

Total THC/CBD: depends on the potency of the products used

Status: condiment, use in place of pickled ginger as a garnish   

From the cannabis pantry: cannabis rice wine vinegar, cannabis honey 

Equipment

Chef’s knife, cutting board, medium saucepan, large spoon, potato peeler, several mason jars and lids

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh magnolia petals or blossoms (stolen from your neighbourhood tree)

1 cup rice wine vinegar 

1 cup cannabis rice wine vinegar (made in the mb2e)

5 dry hibiscus flowers

½ cup cannabis honey 

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp Jacobsen sea salt

6-8 ounces fresh ginger strips (use a potato peeler)

1 piece orange peel (zest) (use potato peeler)

Preparation

In a medium saucepan mix all the ingredients except the magnolia petals or blossoms. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the petals and stir well. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir well to separate the petals. Allow to cool at room temperature. Transfer to mason jars with lids and refrigerate. (You can also can or process the jars.)

To learn more about Chef Sebastian Carosi and his approach to cannabis cookery read our exclusive interview, Eat your damn greens! Chef Sebastain talks wildcrafting, cannabis cookery and his respect for the movement’s deep roots. Chef Sebastian generously shared this recipe with Heads Lifestyle. Now get in the kitchen and whip up something delicious! 

Equipment + product source: MB2e MagicalButter Machine

Photos: Chef Sebastian Carosi and Carla Asquith

More about Chef Sebastian Carosi and his projects here

Follow on Instagram at: @chef_sebatian_carosi